Ariel Quartet delivers riveting concert for the 92nd Street Y series

On Monday night, the Ariel Quartet summed up the "Cincy in NYC" week of the arts in the Big Apple in an intimate underground venue in Greenwich Village.

The quartet-in-residence at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music performed an ambitious program in a rather edgy venue called SubCulture. Sponsored by the 92nd Street Y, it was billed as one of the Y's "Concerts for the adventurous."

The scene: A basement space, part bar and part performing space with beams and pipes in the ceiling and iron pillars holding up the building. The rumble of the subway could be heard often – the Bleecker Street stop is literally at the front door. The area is famous as a nightclub district. A trendy crowd filled this hall, and the musicians played on a small stage, up close and personal.

The program: They strode out and plunged into Haydn's Quartet, Op. 76, No. 1 with fresh, bracing energy. Alexandra Kazovsky was in the first violin chair, injecting passion into every note. Each of these musicians – Gershon Gerchikov, violinist, Jan Grüning, viola, and Amit Even-Tov on cello – is gifted, and it was fun to see how they communicated back and forth, bringing out the joy and humor in this music. The Adagio was sublime, a moment that stood still.

Alban Berg's String Quartet No. 3, the Viennese composer's first atonal work, was a stark contrast. Textures were spare and the ensemble created a haunting atmosphere. They played with intensity and emotion, yet it was all attacked with pinpoint precision and integrity for the music.

The highlight: The Ariel, which recently completed the Beethoven cycle at CCM before any of its members turned 30, concluded with Beethoven's Quartet Op. 130 and the Grosse Fuge, Op. 133. This time, Gerchikov was playing first violin.

Heard in the context of 12-tone composer Berg, it was a revelation to hear Beethoven's astonishing Grosse Fuge.

This was an epic journey. Frenzied passages were tossed off with bows flying. The lyrical inner movements, played with Viennese charm, were a treat after so much angst. The quartet took a long pause before the profound Cavatina. Here, their phrasing was deeply felt, and they communicated with oneness of spirit. It was mesmerizing to watch as the players attacked the finale with clipped rhythms and electrifying intensity. Listeners were on their feet.

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May 12: The Ariel Quartet at Subculture. The Enquirer / Janelle Gelfand

May 9: Cincinnatians Joanne and John Earls, Central Park, New York, went to the New York Philharmonic's open rehearsal at 9 a.m. in Avery Fisher Hall. It was packed, they said. The Enquirer / Janelle Gelfand

May 7: The cast of Cincinnati Opera's "Music and Words" with Ricky Ian Gordon on Wednesday night at the National Opera Center. The event previewed Gordon's new opera, "Morning Star," commissioned by Cincinnati Opera for the 2015 summer festival. The Enquirer / Janelle Gelfand

May 6: Scenes from Dizzy’s Club on Tuesday night, which included the debut of new jazz professor Craig Bailey, a native of Cincinnati. The crowd was hip (there were a lot of French fans) and some stayed for the jam session at 11:30 p.m. The Enquirer / Janelle Gelfand

May 6: Peter Frampton introduced his music for Cincinnati Ballet’s Hummingbird in a Box before a full house at the Joyce Theater on Tuesday night. “I’m not sure why I’m here. To say that this is special for me is an understatement. I never thought I’d be involved in writing music for ballet. It is a tremendous honor to be here, slightly misfit,” he joked. “This was a labor of love.” He said he couldn’t have done it without his writing partner, Gordon Kennedy, and the two hugged in front of the hall when the piece finished. He was elated and the New Yorkers stood and cheered. The Enquirer / Janelle Gelfand

May 6: Hello, Big Apple. This is the view from Enquirer reporter Janelle Gelfand's plane during descent into New York City. She's in New York City to cover Cincy in NYC, May 6-12. The Enquirer / Janelle Gelfand